This year’s Ms. America, Tracy Broughton, spent some of last week on her first official photo shoot in Laguna Beach.

Broughton, crowned in January in Anaheim, first visited with salon owner Tiare’ Kaufman and makeup artist Kacie Dirks at Tiare International Hair Design, 260 Forest Ave. Fashion photographer Gina Waggener next took over, shooting Broughton at an unspecified location.

The 36-year-old Ladera Ranch resident and single mother of 11-year-old identical twin sons offers her own story as inspiration to anyone faced with disabilities. As the result of a high school car accident, Broughton was paralyzed on her left side and told she would never walk again. She went on to pursue a modeling career. She suffered paralysis again after another collision in 1996. She underwent various therapies, winning the 2003 Ms. Black California pageant while still in a wheelchair, and after a decade she managed to get to her feet on two crutches. Now she only uses one.